Electric incandescent lamp.



No. 635,447. Patented Oct. 24, I899.

' W J. PHELPS.

ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT LAMP.

(Application filed. July 25, 1898.) (No Model.)

W /I a ilnrrno S 'rn'rns PATENT Quince.

I WILLIAM J. PHELPS, OF ELMWOOD, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC INCANDESCENT LAMP.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 635,447, dated October 24, 1899.

Application filed July 25, 189}?- Serial No. 686,796. (No model.)

To whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, WILLIAM J. PHELPS, a resident of Elmwood, Peoria county, Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electric Incandescent Lamps, of which the following is hereby declared to be a full, clear, and exact description suffi-- cient to enable others skilled in the art to make and use the same.

My invention refers to multifilamentincandescent lamps; and my object is to provide means whereby the flow of electric current may be altered by revolving the lamp on its longitudinal axis.

The nature of the improvements will appear in detail from the description following and will be more particularly pointed out by claims at the conclusion thereof.

In the accompanying drawings like parts of structure are denoted by like designation throughout.

Figure 1 is a vertical section showing one form of my invention as adapted for use with Edison-type sockets. The familiar parts of the lamp and socket are omitted, and the scale is somewhat enlarged in order to show the parts more clearly. Part of a socket-terminal is shown in its relation to the terminals of the lamp, and the path of the current through the filaments is shown diagram matically. Fig. 2 is a vertical section illustrating a different construction from that shown in Fig. 1. In this View also parts of the lamp and socket are left out and the scale is somewhat enlarged. Figs. 2 and 2 are details of the construction shown in Fig. 2. Fig. 3 is a vertical section showing the application of my invention to lamps for use with Thomson- I-Iouston-type socket, the scale being enlarged and parts of the lamp and socket being omitted, as in the other figures. Fig. 3 is a plan view of the disk shown in Fig. 3.

Referring to Fig. 1, E is the threaded sleeve, common to the Edison-type lamp-base. D is a disk of insulating material (preferably porcelain) secured in one end of sleeve E. B is a stationary terminal in the center of disk D, and O is an annular terminal concentric with B and secured to disk D in the manner shown. A is one terminal of an Edison-type socket or receptacle. The filaments I and J are connected by the leading-in wires G, H,

and F to the terminals B, C, and E in the manner clearly shown. If, now, this lamp is screwed into an Edison-type socket, the sleeve E will first of all make contact with the threaded shell which constitutes one of the terminals of said socket. Then the annular terminal 0 will make contact with terminal A of the socket. Current will now pass from A to terminal C and thence by leading-in wire G, through filament I and filament J and leading-in wire F, to thread ed sleeve E, which is in contact with the opposite terminal of the socket. On screwing the lamp into its socket to the utmost extent the annular terminal 0, being resilient by reason of the concentric corrugations shown, will be pressed down, and the terminal B will finally be brought into contact with the terminal A. Current will now pass directly from terminal A to terminal B and thence through leading-in wire II to filament J, leading-in wire F, and screw-sleeve E. Obviously if the lamp be slightly unscrewed B will be withdrawn from terminal A and current will again pass to terminal C and both filaments burn in series.

Referring to Fig. 2, E is a threaded sleeve having in one end the porcelain disk D. A is-0ne terminal of an Edison-type socket. The terminal Cin the center of disk D is forced out-ward by the spiral spring L, resting in the capsule'K. B is a stationary annular terminal concentric with O and supported on an annular ridge D, which is formed on one side of the disk D. The ridge D is cut away at one part, leaving an opening through which a prong of metal lWI from the capsule K projects in order to afford an easy connection for the leading-in wire G, which is passed through a hole in diskD. The lower part of the annular terminal B is also cut away in the vicinity of prong M in order to preserve the insulation of the latter from it. Another leading-in wire II passes through a hole in disk D and is connected to terminal B at the point H. When this lamp is partly screwed into an Edison-type socket, the terminal 0 makes contact with terminal A of the socket. Current flows from A to terminal 0, through spring D, (preferably soldered at its ends to G and K,) to capsule K, through prong M and leading-in wire G, to filament I, from whence it passes through leading-in wire F to sleeve E, which is in electrical contact with the other terminal of the socket. On screwing the lamp into its socket to the utmost extent terminal 0 will be pressed down until A also makes contact with the terminal B. Both filaments will now receive current in parallel. The path of current for filament I will be as above described, while current from A will also flow to terminal B, through leading-in wire H, to filament J, whence it returns by leading-in wire F and sleeve E to the opposite pole of the socket. The terminal B and the capsule K are shown in perspective, respectively, in Figs. 2 and 2 The prong M, to which leading-in wire G is connected, is shown in Fig. 2 and the manner in which the lower part of terminal B is cut away for purpose of in sulation is clearly shown at the point B, Fig. 2.

Referring to Fig. 3, L is the metal shell of a Thomson-Houston type lam phase, with porcelain disk D secured in one end. E is the threaded nut adapted to one terminal of a Thomson-Houston-type socket. B and C are annular terminals concentric with E and mounted on an annular ridge formed on one side of D. The terminals 0 and 13 are separated from each other. Terminal C is of spring metal and is secured by two prongs M M,diametrically opposite each other,which pass through holes in disk D and are clenched on the lower side of same. At two points midway between the prongs M M terminal 0 is bent upward, as shown in the figure. X is the central screw-post constituting one terminal of a Thomson-Houston-type socket, and A is the annular metal ring concentric therewith constituting the opposite terminal. The terminals X and A are electrically insulated from each other and are secured to the porcelain disk Y. Z is part of the outer metal shell of a Thomson-Houstontype socket. As in the other figures, parts of the lamp and socket are omitted and the filaments and their connections are indicated diagrammatically. Fig. 3 shows a plan view of the disk D and terminals 0, B, and E. Prongs M and M are shown passing through holesin disk D. The leading-in wire G is passed through disk D and connected to prong M at the point G. Leading-in wire H passes through a pole in disk D and is connected to terminal B at the point H. In like manner the remaining leading-in wire F is passed through disk D and connected to nut E at the point F. On screw- Current will from the annular terminal A of the socket to the terminal O and thence through leading-in wire G to filaments I and J in series, leading-in wire F, and nut E. If the lamp is now screwed into its socket to the utmost extent, terminal 0, being resilient, will be pressed down until the annular terminal A also makes contact with terminalB. Current will now pass directly to B and thence through theleading-in wire H to filament J, leading-in wire F, and nut E. Filament J will now receive current alone.

Vhile I have shown and described one lamp in which two filaments are burned in series or one filament singly and another lamp in which either one filament or two filaments in parallel are burned, I do not wish to be limited to these two or to any particular arrangement of connections, since my invention is more particularly directed toward the novel means for elfectinga change in the flow of current through the lamp.

Obviously the details of structure may be varied through a wide range, according to the skill of the mechanic, withoutdcpartingfrom my invention. Therefore I do not wish to be in any manner limited to the structure herein shown.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. An electric incandescent lamp comprising an exhausted globe, a plurality of incandescent filaments or sections of one filament and three or more terminals one at least of said terminals being resilient and each of said terminals being adapted to receive current directly from a socket or support.

2. A base for an incandescent lamp having three or more terminals for the independent reception of current, one at least of said terminals bei'ng resilient.

3. A base for an incandescent lamp, having three terminals, two of said terminals being arranged to make direct electrical contact with one and the same terminal of a socket or receptacle, one at least of said three terminals being resilient.

4-. An incandescent lamp having two filaments or two sections of one filament connected in series, the two ends of the joined filaments being perm anently connected to the lamp -terminals and a third terminal connected to the junction of the two filaments or sections, said third terminal being adapted to make electrical contact at will with one of the terminals of a socket or receptacle through a longitudinal movement of the lamp with re spect to the socket.

\VILLIAM .l'. PHELPS.

Witnesses:

GEORGE I. FISHER, J12, ALBERTA ADAMICK. 

